Prosecutors won't charge Chicago officers who fired nearly 100 times
during a deadly traffic stop
[August 14, 2025]
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police officers from a tactical unit who fired
their guns nearly 100 times during a 2024 traffic stop that killed a
26-year-old man won't face criminal charges, prosecutors announced
Wednesday.
“The decision is not reached lightly nor does it diminish the tragedy
that occurred," Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said
at a news conference. “But to the question of whether the officers
committed a crime under the Illinois Criminal Code, the answer is
straightforward: They did not.”
The shooting that killed Dexter Reed, a Black man, raised questions
about the use of force and the role of tactical officers who were
involved. In Reed's case, the five officers were dressed in plainclothes
and drove unmarked cars as they surrounded Reed's SUV on March 21, 2024.
Reed fired first, which Burke said was part of the “clear and
overwhelming evidence” that led her to decide against pursuing charges.
One of the five officers at the scene was immediately injured. Burke
said Reed fired 11 rounds in two bursts with a gun he obtained
illegally.
Four officers shot back 96 times, even after Reed left the vehicle, fell
to the ground and lay motionless. One officer alone fired 50 shots.
Reed was hit 13 times, including on his legs and chest, according to the
Cook County medical examiner. The shooting and Reed’s death happened
within roughly one minute.
Police have released little and at times conflicting information about
what prompted the traffic stop. Initially police said officers had
pulled Reed over for not wearing a seat belt. Later city attorneys said
it was due to illegally tinted windows.
A message left Wednesday for the police union was not immediately
returned.
The officers were placed on administrative leave. Chicago police said
Wednesday that three remained on administrative duties while two were
“inactive.” A spokesman declined to elaborate further.
Community activists called for them to be fired immediately in the
killing of another young Black man.
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Flanked by family members, attorneys and supporters, Dexter Reed's
mother, Nicole Banks, speaks to reporters outside the headquarters
for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in West Town,
Chicago, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Reed, 26, was shot to death March
21 during a traffic stop by Chicago police. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago
Sun-Times via AP)
Reed’s family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, alleging “brutally
violent” policing tactics, and they have called for the city to work
harder to comply with a court-supervised reform plan prompted by a
2014 police shooting where officers shot Black teenager Laquan
McDonald 16 times.
Reed was a former high school and college basketball player with
ambitions of being a sportscaster. Family remembered him as a kind,
caring person who had experienced recent health problems, including
recovering from a 2021 shooting, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The family alleged that the officers didn’t properly identify
themselves as police during the West Side traffic stop; lacked
reasonable suspicion to stop Reed; escalated the situation by
immediately drawing guns, blocking his vehicle and shouting
profanity-laced commands; and failed to provide timely medical care
as Reed lay in the street.
Family members were disappointed in the decision not to file
charges, according to attorney Andrew Stroth, who represents Reed's
family.
“We will continue to fight for justice,” Stroth said in a statement.
“This case is about the pattern and practice of unconstitutional
actions by tactical units within the Chicago Police Department.”
Chicago police declined to comment Wednesday, citing an ongoing
investigation. But the department has generally addressed the work
of the tactical officers, saying such units have been part of each
district’s patrol for years. They are generally sent to areas with
high crime patterns, working in uniform and sometimes in street
clothes.
Burke said her office would not address questions on policing. “It
is not this office’s role to examine or cast judgment on police
tactics,” she said.
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